Tube or flue cleaner.



No. 776,452. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904. J. J. BYE-RS.

TUBE 0R FLUE CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 1. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 EHEBTB-BHBBT 1 ad'fiip Gama,

Wihwaoco No. 776,452. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904. J. J. BYERS.

TUBE OR FLUE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1903. no MODEL.

Attorney INVENTOR Jzwesfjyera WITNESSES.-

NITED STATES Patented November 29, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES J. BYERS, OF PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR TO J. B. BRITTAIN.

TUBE OR FLUE CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,452, dated November29, 1904.

Application filed July 1, 1903- Serial No. 168,917- (No model.)

- and accumulations in tubes or lines and also having such constructionthat they will resist breakage.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tube or flue cleanerhaving automatically adjustable blades to compensate for variations inthe diameter of'different tubes or fiues without requiring a manualadjustment, and thereby insuring a positive engagement of the blades atall times with the wallof the tube or flue and to embody in theconstruction of the cleaner a solid auger-point to loosen the sediment0r accumulation within the tube or fine that may have become hardened tosuch an extent as to resist the ready insertion of the cleaner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cleaner for tubes orflues having selfadjusting blades, an augenpoint, and a brush device forpushing the loosened material outwardly from the tube or line with whichthe cleaner is operated.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionconsists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts, whichwill be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of acleaner embodying the features of the invention and showing the handleor operating-rod broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectionof the cleaner with the handle or operating rod broken away. Fig. 3 is afront elevation of the cleaner. Fig. A is a side elevation of a modifiedform of the cleaner. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of thecleaner shown by Fig. A.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates a center shaft or cylindrical bar of sufficientlength to operatively support the parts of the cleaner and has its frontend 2 reduced and screw-threaded to reinovably receive an auger-head orcenter point 3, provided with a series of converging blades A,intersected by recesses 5. The blades A converge to a front pointed end6, and, as shown by Fig. 3, the contour of the portion of the headcarrying the blades is approximately square. 4 The shank7of the head 3is substantially cylindrical, and at diametrically opposite points saidshank is formed with recesses 8. Extending longitudinally into the shankfrom the rear end is a screw-' threaded socket to receive thescrew-threaded end 2 of the shaft 1. This construction is practicallysimilar in both forms of the device shown, except that the shaft 1(shown by Figs. A and 5) is without the shoulder at its front end toindicate that the application of the head is not dependent upon theformation of the said shoulder.

Loosely mounted on the shaft 1 in rear of the head 3 is a sleeve 9, towhich the shanks 10 of blades 11 are removably secured by screws oranalogous fastenings 12. In the form of the device shown by Figs. 1, 2,and 3 the shanks 10 of the blades are exteriorly applied to the sleeveand held by two screws or analogous fastenings 12. In the form shown byFigs. A and 5 the rear shanks of the blades are inserted in slots 13 indiametrically opposite portions of the sleeve 9 and removably fastenedto the latter by single screws 1A, engaging each shank. The blades 11flare outwardly from the front end of the sleeve 9 and have spiralmembers 15, sur rounding the shaft in reverse directions and formed withfront cutting edges. The front ends 16 of the members 15 are secured inthe recesses 8 in the shanks 7 of the head 3 by screws or otherfastenings l6, and the por tion of the head 3 in advance of the recessesprojects outwardly a greater distance in advance of the shank '7, as at16", to thereby remove. all liability of the front ends of the members15 contacting with any obstruction during the operation of the cleanerin a tube or flue and avoid breaking the blades. The blades 11 areresilient and have an automatic contraction and expansion, the sleeve 9moving on the shaft 1 to compensate for this automatic adjustment of theblades. The attaching-shanks 10 are located between the ends of theblades 11, so that the rear ends of the blades are left free andunsupported, so that they may adjust themselves to all variations andinequalities within the tubes or flues. The distance the sleeve 9 islocated in rear of the head 3 will depend upon the length of the blades11 when the parts are in normal position, and it will be understood thatthe dimensions of the parts thus far described may be varied at will toadapt the cleaner for use with tubes or flues of different sizes orthose having an inner diameter greater than the maximum projection ofthe blades.

On the shaft 1 in rear of the sleeve 9 acircular brush-head 17 issecured by a collar 18 in the form shown by Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and by anut 18 in the form shown by Figs. 4 and 5, the said collar and nut ineach instance fitting over the rear screw-threaded extremity 19 of theshaft. Any other suitable means for fastening the head 17 on the shaftmay be provided, as any particular mode of securing this part of thecleaner is not essential. The head 17 carries a circular brush 20,havinga diameter equal to the maximum projection of the blades 11 inorder that the wall of the tube cleaned may be fully engaged by thebrush to remove the loosened accumulations or sediment from the tube.Aremoving device 21 is detachably secured on the screw-threadedextremity 19 of the shaft 1 and comprises a front bell 22, which servesto push the loosened sediment or accumulations out of the tube or flue,and from the bell a screw-threaded socket 23 projects rearwardly beyondthe rear terminal of the shaftl, and to said socket the frontscrew-threaded extremity of an operating rod or handle 2& is secured.The rod or handle 24 may be of any suitable length and in some instancesmay consist of a series of jointed rods or handles, which is a commonexpedient in this class of devices.

The blades 11 can be removed for sharpening and reset at any timedesired Without disturbing the remaining elements of the cleaner, or inthe event that said blades become so much worn as to be of impracticaluse they may be replaced by others of a similar nature. It will be seenthat the spiral members of the blades fully surround in reversedirections the shaft 1, and thus the cutting edges will be brought intofull engagement with the interior wall of a tube or flue and effectivelyoperate on every part of such wall.

The cleaner is inserted in the outer end of the tube and pushed forwardand at the same time given a rotary movement, particularly if the tubeor flue be clogged to such an extent as to resist the insertion of thecleaner. The rotation of the cleaner will cause the blades 4 of theheads 3 to loosen the accumulation or sediment and permit the blades 11to subsequently act and more fully detach the accumulation or sedimentfrom the wall of the tube or flue. This operation is repeated and thecleaner moved forwardly and back- Wardly until the tube or flue isthoroughly cleaned, and during such operation the brush 2O thoroughlycleans the tube or flue and the bell 22 pushes forwardly any sediment oraccumulation that may be left loose in the tube or flue by the brush.

The mode of fastening the shanks 10 of the blades 11 shown by Figs. 4and 5 tends to strengthen the said shanks and at the same time reducesthe number of fastening-screws necessary to secure the blades to thesleeve. In applying the blades 11 to the sleeve in this modifiedconstruction they are pushed longitudinally into the slots 13 from thefront end of the sleeve, and the screws 14 are then secured in place inthe sleeve and shanks.

The improved device will be found exceptionally useful for the purposefor which it has been devised, and in the construction of the severalparts metal will be used in view of its durability. The shaft 1 willalso be preferably formed of gas-pipe of a diameter proportionate tothat of the cleaner.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1.In a tube-cleaner, a shaft, an auger-head secured on the front end ofthe shaft and having converging blades or cutters terminating at anintermediate circumferential enlargement, resilient blades surroundingthe shaft and having their front extremities secured to the head in rearof said enlargement, and means freely movable on the shaft to which therear terminals of said blades are attached.

2. A tube-cleaner comprising a shaft having an auger-head on the frontextremity thereof, a sleeve movable on the shaft in rear of the head,spiral blades connected to the head and sleeve, a brush fixed to theshaft in rear of the sleeve, and a combined cleaning device andhandle-socket on the shaft in rear of the brush, said head beingenlarged in advance of the forward terminals of the blades,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES J. BYERS.

